Fury as 2,050 more BBC jobs go

The BBC director general, Mark Thompson, has been accused of "ripping the heart out of BBC programme making", as broadcasting unions reacted with fury to his announcement of a further 2,050 job cuts yesterday.

The job losses, which amount to a 13% reduction in staffing levels across production and broadcasting departments such as news, sport and drama, were described as "absolutely murderous" by one union official.

Broadcasting unions will meet today to consider their formal response to the latest round of BBC cutbacks, but are already threatening industrial action if they lead to compulsory redundancies.

Jeremy Dear, National Union of Journalists general secretary, said: "Mark Thompson is ripping the heart out of BBC programme making. Today's figures simply do not add up. They fail to take proper regard as to how money could be saved without axing jobs."

Luke Crawley, of the Broadcasting Entertainment Cine matograph and Theatre Union, condemned the cuts as "absolutely murderous." He added: "This is the worst day in the BBC's history."

The cuts announced yesterday by Mr Thompson will fall heaviest on the BBC nations and regions, where 735 jobs are to be lost, and BBC News, which is earmarked to lose 420 journalistic and administrative posts.

Yesterday's announcement comes two weeks after Mr Thompson unveiled plans to cut 1,730 jobs from the BBC's professional services depart ments, such as legal, human resources and marketing, bringing the total to 3,780.

By the time the sell-offs of the Broadcast and Resources commercial subsidiaries are complete, the reduction in the BBC staff will top 6,000.

Mr Thompson said these cutbacks, representing 19% of the BBC's UK public service workforce, would help to create annual savings of £355m by 2008, which would be reinvested in new programming.